Charlotte Olympia Dellal Would Like to Dance in Beyoncé's Shoes

Much like her coveted shoe collection, designer Charlotte Olympia Dellal is somehow both kooky and glamorous. Her butter-blonde hair is coiffed and sprayed into a Veronica Lake bob, her red lipstick matches her scarlet nail polish, and as she lounges on one of Bergdorf Goodman's velvet sofas, she fiddles playfully with her handbag, a giant perspex clutch shaped like an old-fashioned perfume atomizer.

"My grandma came from that era when you'd never leave the house without putting on your lipstick and setting your hair," Dellal explains. "She's my personal inspiration!"

Truth be told, Dellal's grandmother isn't her only fashion-forward relative. As the big sister of Chanel model Alice Dellal and the cousin of stylish DJ Harley Viera-Newton, the designer seems to have style encoded in her DNA. We spoke with the London native as she debuted her newest Charlotte Olympia collection, which she based on traditional zodiac symbols. (Attention, Leos: A pair of lioness loafers can now be yours...)

More From ELLE

ELLE: So Charlotte, what's your sign?

Charlotte Dellal: I'm a Gemini, which I find to be a bit funny. Everyone sees the Gemini sign as [represented by] two people, and they say, "Ah, that must mean she's two-sided!" And I think, "Well, when you look at it, most people are two-sided, aren't they?!" But I do think it's interesting how many twins do seem to be Gemini, like the Olsens.

ELLE: You're the oldest of four kids. As a child, did you tell each of them what to wear?

CD: I don't think my two brothers would listen to me about what to wear, but I did dress up [Alice] a lot. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a fashion designer, so I used to make my poor little sister be my model. But maybe that rubbed off on her in a good way, because now she is a model, a real one!

ELLE: Your shoes are stamped with a spiderweb on the soles. But I heard you don't like real spiders?

CD: But I'm crazy about my logo, because it came from [the book] Charlotte's Web. And now I've started collecting all things to do with spiders and spiderwebs. People bring me spider-related things as presents, which I love. I also collect anything to do with mermaids. I love mermaids.

ELLE:Your perspex clutches are famous in the style world, and they seem to be all over Instagram. They even have fast-fashion copies. How do you feel about that?

CD: They say it's the biggest form of flattery, yeah? It means you're doing something right, and making something that people want. But I can definitely tell the difference between my bag and Zara's version of my clutch. There's obviously also a big difference in the price point, but mine costs more for a reason! Ours do look a bit nicer. [Laughing] A lot nicer! I'm going to be blunt!

ELLE: This month is ELLE's Women in Music issue. Who's your favorite diva?

CD: Beyoncé! I would want to dance in Beyoncé's shoes. I don't know if I could dance like Beyoncé, but I would give anything to try.

ELLE: Can you dance in your heels?

CD: Absolutely. I make sure of it. What kind of female designer would I be if I didn't make shoes that women could dance in?! But I like flats, too. I mean, I'm not a heel-ist! I love flats!